GARDNER The annual fall open house at Mount Wachusett Community College’s main campus provided the opportunity for community members to explore all that the public higher education institute has to offer as well as meet professors and take a tour. “Our faculty and our staff are completely committed to helping you achieve your academic and personal goals,” said longtime Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) President Dr. James Vander Hooven to the nearly 200 prospective students and guests who attended the October event at the college’s main campus in Gardner. He said that MWCC saw “the largest enrollment increase in the state” for the 2023-24 school year, a surge no doubt driven in part by state programs such as MassEducate, which makes public community college in Massachusetts free for eligible students of any age and income. “We want to help you be successful.[and] asking for help is the greatest sign of strength for yourself,” Vander Hooven said, adding “we can’t wait to see you” at graduation. Open house participants were invited to take part in tours of the Gardner facility led by a number of student ambassadors including Sarah Parron. Highlights included visiting the library and learning success center, the art wing that includes the theater and media and technology, which has high tech equipment including a brand new state-of-the-art audio studio, and a plethora of information on the various services and programs MWCC provides to students including career, advising, mental health, financial aid, study abroad, IT, and more. Parron brought guests by the cafeteria, where they serve all kinds of fresh food options, as well as one of the three science wings and into the largest classroom on campus. She said the small classes sizes, typically under 20 students and up to 30, makes the teachers “approachable” and enables student to “connect” with them. She talked about campus police “they are the best” who are there 24/7 and helped her jump her car once, and how MWCC prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive environment. There’s a food pantry and community fridge open to all, gender neutral bathrooms, and the Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority (MART) bus system provides transportation for students with pick up and drop off locations in Gardner, Fitchburg, and Leominster and offers discounted monthly bus passes for MWCC students. Parron spoke about there being a lot of fun activities, such as the Skaraoke party happening that night and field trips off campus and showed off the spacious student lounge that features comfortable seating, an old school Pac Man arcade game, a ping pong table and floor chess board, vending machines, and various screens you can connect devices to. Professors from all different departments were on hand to chat about programs and answer any questions and people could fill out an application for enrollment during the open house as well as apply for FAFSA to determine how much financial aid they would be eligible to receive, which could include which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans. MWCC Vice President for Enrollment Management Marcia Rosbury-Henne expressed that the college “is a special place to work” and that their fall open house “is one of the most meaningful things we do as a college.” “It’s where students and families, like yours, can walk through our doors and immediately feel what makes MWCC so special,” she said. “Students get to meet our faculty and deans, financial aid counselors and academic advisors, and all the teams who will work with them from the day they apply until the day they graduate. They see the level of care that defines The Mount you can feel it during our open house. “We want every student who walks through our doors to know you won’t do this alone, you’ll have a whole community behind you,” Rosbury-Henne continued.” She shared that for most students, that next step is to transfer to a four-year college or university or directly enter the workforce or sometimes both upon graduating with their associates degree from MWCC. “As with any adventure in life, going to college for the first time, returning to college as an adult, or dipping your toes into higher ed for workforce training, regardless of your age or background, can be full of challenges,” Rosbury-Henne said. “The teams across our Gardner, Fitchburg, [and] Leominster [campuses] offer incredible support to help remove barriers that may deter a student from persisting from one semester to the next. For example, we have campus food pantries and refrigerators stocked with free food and snacks for students, offer child watch services to student parents, and intentionally build communication plans and touchpoints with our advising and financial aid teams to meet students where they are.” She went on to say that community college now being free for most state residents through MassEducate, which also helps cover the cost of fees and books and supplies for those eligible, “has been a game-changer.” “We are happy to be their first choice in pursuing their education and it is truly an honor to work with our students and see the impact their education is having not only on them as a person, but on the greater community of North Central Massachusetts,” Rosbury-Henne said. When asked what makes MWCC special, she said it really boils down to one key aspect. “The way that the entire college community rallies to put students and their goals as their first priority makes us incredibly unique. It sounds simple, but in today’s world, it’s not always that easy to do,” Rosbury-Henne said. “Having worked in higher education for many years, I believe something else that sets Mount Wachusett apart is its long legacy of intentionality when it comes to connecting college learning with career pathways right here in North Central Massachusetts. Our programs are designed around real local and regional workforce needs, so students can see the link between what they’re learning and where they’re going. We don’t just prepare students for a degree we prepare them for the life and career they want.”.
https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2025/11/21/mount-wachusett-community-college-holds-annual-fall-open-house/
Mount Wachusett Community College holds annual fall open house
